Breaking news: Robert Johnson to be named UO track coach; Vin Lananna to stay at Oregon in new role

Multiple sources on Friday confirmed that the University of Oregon track and field program will undergo a major shakeup in the near future.
Although the timeline is still unknown, Robert Johnson, in his seventh year as associate head women’s coach, is expected to be named as the new head track and field coach at Oregon.
Vin Lananna, who has been the UO director of track and field and associate athletic director since the summer of 2005, will remain with the University of Oregon, but it is unclear in what capacity.
In addition, UO throws coach Robert Weir is not expected to be retained when his contract expires today.
Without daily coaching duties, Lananna could be freed up to spend more time on some of his visionary ideas for the future, including a complete makeover of Hayward Field into a 20,000-seat stadium with the capacity to meet IAAF standards as a host site for the 2019 World Championships.
Neither Lananna or Johnson returned phone calls requesting comment on Friday.
Johnson, the NCAA 2011 women’s indoor coach of the year, and NCAA 2009 women’s assistant outdoor coach of the year, has been credited with turning the Ducks into a national powerhouse in the sprints.
On the women’s side, UO sophomore English Gardner won the NCAA outdoor title in the 100 meters and the NCAA indoor title in the 60 meters this past year, while the UO women’s 4×400 relay set an NCAA meet record in clocking the second-fastest time in collegiate history.
Duck sophomore Mike Berry was the NCAA runner-up in the 400 this season after winning a gold medal as part of the U.S. 4×400 relay pool at the World Championships in Daegu, South Korea, last August.

Curtis Anderson covered UO track and field for The Register-Guard from 1990-96, and again since 2005. He covered the 2012 Olympic Games in London, in addition to the U.S. Olympic Track & Field Trials in New Orleans (1992), Atlanta (1996) and Hayward Field (2008 and 2012). He is the winner of the Jesse Abramson Award, presented by the Track & Field Writers of America for excellence in coverage in 2008.